Invoice Belichick cited Rob Ninkovich whereas discussing how gamers’ ‘tales aren’t over’ after NFL roster cuts

Patriots

Ninkovich was minimize a number of instances earlier than catching on with the Patriots and enjoying for a number of Tremendous Bowl winners in eight seasons.

Invoice Belichick acknowledged that the annual day when NFL rosters need to be trimmed all the way down to 53 gamers is “tough for everybody,” although he provided a reminder that it doesn’t all the time spell the tip of gamers’ careers.

“I might, like I all the time do, warning about pondering issues are over once they’re not essentially over on a whole lot of ranges,” stated Belichick throughout a Tuesday press convention. “It is probably not over right here, they is probably not over someplace else. Gamers have actually left right here and gone on and had careers, and gamers have been launched by different groups and are available right here.

“The Rob Ninkovichs of the world,” Belichick added, citing the previous New England linebacker. “Powerful day for him, and that’s the tip of his line, [but] it positively wasn’t. So the tales aren’t over right here.”

Ninkovich was minimize by the Saints in each 2007 (among the many workforce’s last roster cuts) and in 2009. He was additionally launched by the Dolphins in 2008 in between his stints with New Orleans.

Ultimately, he caught on with the Patriots in 2009 and constructed himself right into a starter over eight seasons. His last sport was New England’s miraculous comeback in Tremendous Bowl LI, Ninkovich’s second Tremendous Bowl win. Former Saints head coach Sean Payton stated in a 2022 interview that he regrets reducing Ninkovich.

Belichick additionally emphasised that gamers the Patriots might doubtlessly minimize aren’t precluded from rapidly returning as members of the observe squad.

“Some gamers that we launch will come again and play for us, be on the observe squad, and a few gained’t,” he defined. “All of us knew the numbers and the maths after we began.”

Within the brief time period, Belichick admitted that the cutdown course of can nonetheless be painful.

“It’s all the time tough to even have to inform a participant that at present he’s not going to be on the roster,” he stated. “He’s going to be on the observe squad, or he’s not going to be right here in any respect. Sadly that’s a part of the method all of us signed up for, we knew that’s what it’s. This is likely one of the days that it occurs.”